


Stay on Target

by gaymargarita



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), CEO Asami, F/F, It's all fluff, Korra Plays Hockey, With Humor, everybody swears, there are dogs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:56:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29320515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaymargarita/pseuds/gaymargarita
Summary: Surprisingly it took not even a few hours into the night for her phone to just blow up with text messages.Unknown, 10:21pm: YOU HAVE MY DOG.Unknown, 10:21pm: I’m sorry. I saw your sign, he’s my dog.Unknown, 10:21pm: When can we meet up?Unknown, 10:21pm: Please for the love of every possible deity say asap.-“How’d you get this number?? Korra! What sorcery is this? Explain to me how extremely hot women are calling you?! When did scam callers get this spicy?! I need answers!”Korra finds a lost dog. Asami has lost her dog. Except she's unaware at first.An extremely long broken up one-shot
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato
Comments: 32
Kudos: 301





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Holy shit it's almost been two years since I've posted anything.  
> Raise your hand if you are a sucker for first meet fics. (Me.)  
> This was a thiccc one-shot so I broke it in half, it's not some people's thing. (It's totally my thing though.)
> 
> Thanks for dropping by, half of this has been stagnant on my harddrive for...8 months? Took three days to finish it, I suck.

Korra likes to imagine she’s adjusted quite well to Republic City’s climate since moving here three years ago. The South Pole’s regular subzero temperatures made wearing t-shirts in thirty degree Fahrenheit weather seem almost like overdressing. Almost.

It’s safe to say she’s been lying to herself this entire time then, because holy _shit_ was it hot. She didn’t know how much exactly but she knew it was too high. Korra never understood why anybody described anything above sixty as comfortable. Sixty was already scorching. Pair that with a humidity level anywhere above like forty percent, and Korra feels like she’s drowning simply from the air itself, with a horrible case of swamp ass.

Alright, swamp ass might be a slight exaggeration but she never denied being dramatic either.

Even with the sun physically beating her to death with heatwaves and the air so thick with moisture that Korra can’t really tell if she’s sweating or the air itself is sweating, she wouldn’t ever trade it for runs with Naga. Since moving to the city on the back of the opportunity to play for the Fire Ferrets as a center, Korra’s workout routine was clockwork. Adding power forward in the mix, she was very dedicated to maintaining the best athletic physique she could. Ice hockey wasn’t known for being a soft sport, it could get brutal. But she personally considered it to be the greatest sport to grace humanity’s extremely competitive nature. And she was quite competitive.

Yet with a clockwork routine she’d made some recent changes. For about a month now after running her own ten miles every morning (which was kind of excessive, but nobody ever described her as low energy), Korra would end her route at her apartment and return for another two with Naga in tow. At a much slower pace, she thought it was important to spend time with the giant sized fluffball, plenty of stops for water. So here she was, at a one hundred acre park nearest to her apartment, middle of the city, back end of the remaining quarter mile with Naga’s tongue flopping around in joy. Sweating her ass off. Sucking hot oxygen into her breath sacks. Pretty normal morning.

With the additional thirty minute two mile on her schedule Korra began to see some new people in the area. It was almost surprising how many people in the city were out here at eight in the morning. She knew every dog and every owner that regularly crossed paths with her for the whole running stretch now. Jess and her squat little pug named Koto who had a different colored bow for each day of the week. Yang with an eighty pound pitbull named Cujo, who was really the softest, most spoiled and sweet dog in existence. Lee and his handicapped terrier Rocket, who would literally zoom circles around anybody with his off-roading wheelchair. Korra got to know them very quickly. Naga was very sweet and polite with all of them, and it became the new normal.

What was absolutely not normal was the sight of a woman sitting on a park bench, shaded by a single aged oak, alongside a tall doberman that sat so still it almost looked statuesque. What was certainly not normal was Korra almost tripping and busting her ass, mid-stride, at the sight of this woman. Long dark hair wrapped up in a loose bun, wearing a light jacket over a turtleneck. Wearing all black. And somehow looking cold while Korra compared her own state to that of Richard Adams in the _Howling._ In this heat? All black? Was she even sweating? It was impossible to tell as she was facing away from Korra, at a good distance, slightly hunched over. 

The dog posted beside her was leashed, but the lead simply settled on the ground as if it was dropped. It had probably the most sleek short hair she’d ever seen on a dog. Well maintained and obviously very much cared for, the dog was a textbook specimen and in amazing athletic form. It made no indication it had any intention to stray from it’s guard post and seemed deeply rooted to her side. Curiously the only movement the doberman made was to twist its neck around and stare directly into the soul of Korra, as if this dog was the literal Terminator locking onto a target. 

When the pathway twisted and rounded, a different viewpoint showed the woman had to have been around the same age as Korra herself, one hand holding what looked to be a notebook in her lap and the other furiously scribbling inside of it. A few strands of hair were loose to the side of her face, framing a furrowed and intense look. And not a single bead of perspiration. How? Unsure. Maybe she was also the Terminator, robot body immune to temperature. Her terminator dog had yet to look away, little heated daggers boring into Korra. With a watchdog faithfulness to match that of Cerberus.

What she was completely sure of was this new person out on this park bench was excruciatingly gorgeous. Problem was that Korra was staring, and a return glance to her running path caused her to narrowly miss running straight into a wooden post.

_Jesus Korra, stop being a creepy gay sack and focus._

She glanced again in the direction of the bench. The woman had cocked her head slightly, chewing on her bottom lip, staring at the pages in her hand critically. Then letting out what seemed to be a sigh and continued placing marks on the paper.

_Not focus on her, you’ve got more than a single brain cell._

It took a slight tug on the leash in her hands for Naga to signal she was done for the day, the dog took a lazy walk and was already guiding her owner back home. One last stare down with Cerberus T2 the doberman, she turned to the direction of her apartment side by side with Naga on the cool down walk.

Korra couldn’t help but wonder if she would see this mystery woman again tomorrow.

* * *

The woman remained a mystery.

To say Korra was disappointed would be accurate, she didn’t know why though. It was just a girl on a bench and a one-off….one sided...encounter. It was a little less humid than the day before yet still way too hot for Korra’s comfort. A loose tank top and shorts provided decent enough airflow but when the air was like running around in an oven, it didn’t do much in terms of cool down. Korra was sure that with the layer of sweat she sported every day on these runs, any surface would be a slip and slide. 

Naga by her side again, she ended up unintentionally (completely purposely) slowing her pace and lingering in the area the woman was spotted the day prior. Hoping for the chance she may just be late and would show up again. Maybe Korra was just curious if this woman made it a habit to dress for late fall even though it was the peak of summer? If it was a black turtleneck again? If whatever was in her notebook was just as engrossing as the day before?

Yeah, that was a very self-aware lie.

Naga wore herself down as usual, the walk home was just Korra sulking for no real good reason. An equally slow sulky trip to the gym where she’d finish the remainder of her work out schedule with some teammates on the Fire Ferrets. She was acting dumb, like it was a life changing interaction to be upset about not experiencing again. Duffel bag slung over her shoulder, Korra flung the front door open so distractedly she simultaneously walked into it. 

A loud thump and an equally loud ‘ _fuck’_ drew the attention of two sets of shining eyes inside the building. A man with a spikey front hairstyle peeked his head up, expression changing from curiosity to annoyance.

“About damn time, Korra! Where have you been? You’re never late and it’s now ten minutes past for you to have gotten here!” 

Her trainer never had a tact for anything but slight aggression and bluntness. That’s a big reason why Korra likes Mako so much, he never tried to soften the blow or sugarcoat things. He was bold, critical, and quite fervent about his job. On the other hand, his brother was completely the opposite. Beaming eyes and raw honesty, Bolin was always the soft supportive one of the pair. There literally no reason for him to not be likeable, and possibly one of the most genuine people Korra has the pleasure of knowing. He was also a spectacular defenseman on the ice, of everybody on the team Korra seemed to sync with Bolin’s abilities the most. It made them deadly. The two brothers looked almost nothing alike other than their hair color and eyes. Mako had a lean type of very sharp athleticism. His facial features were just as cuspate. Bolin on the other hand was intensely solid and stocky. With a thundering presence Bolin had the build of a strongman, arms that could probably crush rocks with a squeeze. 

Rubbing her sore face, Korra chucked her bag down by their feet when she finally got close enough. “Mako lay off. It’s ten minutes, okay? Can we just get to work?”

His immediate response came in the form of a deep scowl. “You got yourself ten extra minutes with the medicine ball.”

“Fine.”

“ _Plus_ fifty burpees at the end of your workout.”

“Fucking burpees, seriously? What is this, boot camp?”

A large hand clapped her on the back, Bolin chugging the last bit of his shake before giving a thumbs up. “Don’t worry I’ll do burpees with you. Whatever you do I do, team spirit and all right?” He didn’t even give her a chance to respond before launching his empty cup across the room and screaming _“let’s goooooo!”_ , sprinting across the gym floor to pummel a punching bag.

Her dome of normalcy began to crack.

* * *

“Korra, why did I ever agree to do these burpees with you? Why did you _let_ me do them with you?”

She was on her forty-fifth burpee, dropping down for a push-up to immediately move into a squat and high jump in the air, arms reaching high and her body burning. The process had started slowing at the twentieth, burpees were not something anybody wanted to do after a full workout. Korra didn’t think burpees were something anybody wanted to do ever. If they enjoyed this, they were psychotic.

“Bolin didn’t you do these all the time when you were in the military?”

The small sound of short, labored breathing came from the space next to her. Droplets of sweat rained down on the mats below both of them, the sounds of feet slapping on the drop of the jump and moans of _dear god kill me_ floated in the air. “That’s exactly why I hate them so much. They suck.”

Down into a push-up, back up, jump. Forty-six. “Yeah this fucking sucks. Mako can eat my entire ass.”

A sweaty towel got launched at her head. Unfortunately it was not a semi-dry one, and the stench of it figuratively and literally smacked her in the face. Korra swears she could see a couple blood vessels pop in Mako’s eye, his arm swinging to throw a second towel at Bolin. “Are you two finished complaining? Korra, I’ve never heard you bitch so much during a workout, the hell is wrong with you today?!”

Push-up, squat, jump. Forty-seven. “Just having an off day. It’s nothing. Leave me alone.”

Bolin had paused in a push up position, practically laying in a pool of his own sweat. “Korra’s distracted cause she’s in _looooove._ ”

There probably wasn’t a glare on the planet icier than the one she just shot Bolin, like the opposite of Superman’s heat vision. Scowl. Push-up. Squat. Jump. Forty-eight.

A gasp came from the lips of the defensive man. He completely stopped his work out and coiled on the floor, as if Bolin was going to pounce and tackle her. “Oh my god!! I was joking but I knew it! Call me a prophet, I’m totally right! Who is she?! Where is she?? When can I meet her?!”

Mako’s eyes grew so big someone could have reported them as a UFO saucer sighting. “Holy shit Korra found a girl?!”

“What is she allergic to?? Does she have pets? Does she like dumplings? Oh tell me you took her to Hwang’s already!”

“Would you two fucking _cut it out??_ First off Bolin, just because you started dating some girl that we have _yet_ to meet even though it’s been a month and a half doesn’t mean you’ve got some magic intuition. Secondly. There’s no girl! ” There was..no wait does it even count? _No, stop it._ Two more of these burpees and she could leave. Cold shower. Or maybe a scorching shower to burn literally the entire day off of her existence. 

Mako crossed his arms expectantly and raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. “Bullshit. You only get all defensive when you don’t want to talk about something.” He pushed a finger out in the air, pointing to all three of them collectively in a circle. “We have one rule, no secrets, so spit it out.”

“Fine. There’s a girl. Was. For like thirty seconds, on my run yesterday. That’s literally it, didn’t even talk to her, she wasn’t there today. End of story.” It really shouldn’t count as being something even worth speaking of. 

Forty-nine.

“Jesus,” The whites of Mako’s eyes were practically laser beams of pure white light with how far back they rolled into his head. “You’re telling me you’re all out of sorts over a girl you saw for not even a whole ass _minute_ , and didn’t even talk to? God this is juvenile. You got it bad.”

She huffed. “Okay can we leave it alone now? And I’m not doing this last burpee in spite of you, you’re an ass.”

Mako smirked. “Go on then, walk out of here and leave an incomplete work out.” It was a heated stare off between the two, to see whose resolve broke first.

_Damn it, cocky bastard._

Fifty. 

* * *

Two more days passed before the woman and her doberman showed up again. It caught Korra completely by surprise, she admits she may have pushed it in the back of her mind, returning her focus back to her run. But the sight of them, at the same bench in the same spot at the same time as the first day was very unexpected. And it did nothing for Korra’s nonsensical thirst either. 

All in all it was about the same interaction as the first time, if it could even be called that. Notebooks and scribbles. Sentry dog. Turtleneck. There was now a laptop added to the mixture. Except this time Korra was much more aware of her surroundings, so rather than nearly crashing into any and every object she simply just jogged her path while attempting to not be creepy. She wasn’t sure if it worked. Yet again she hoped that tearing her gaze away from those restless hands and that slender cut jawline and pouting lips would help stifle the intrigue. It didn’t. At least she booted up enough brain cells to meet with Mako and Bolin on time afterwards.

It would be weird to go up to a stranger and just ask “Hey you look hot in that turtleneck,” without considering if she was talking about the temperature or the individual. Korra didn’t want to even test it. So she kept to her schedule and held her curiosity from a distance.

Except the other woman’s schedule was the opposite of regular. It was chaotic. Over the next few weeks there was absolutely no pattern to her appearance. The only thing to stay consistent was the time of day and her canine companion. She would show up three days in a row, disappear for another two, show up again, be gone for four. Always with notebooks, always with the dog, sometimes with coffee. Sometimes not. Each time threw Korra for a loop, she was so used to seeing regular people and regular things that the lack of pattern left her unprepared for the sight of this woman and how it affected her. It was stupid, she shouldn’t be acting like this was some grade school fascination.

One particular day she was seated at the bench with a new companion. Short brown hair that framed her round face. In contrast to the other, this woman was very much dressed for the summer heat. The brunette didn’t seem to mind her friend’s attire, she sat with a lazy expression on her face, straw of an iced drink between her lips. It seemed to be a one sided conversation. Slim hands waved animatedly around in the air and a clear expression of frustration was visible on Turtleneck’s face. Her hair wasn’t up today and it fell almost lithely around her face when she dropped her head in her hands, heaving a sigh. A hand was placed on her back in an attempt at comfort. 

Korra checked her watch. If she lingered any longer she would be late to the gym, and she did not want to test Mako’s patience again. Watching the brunette enter the narrative was not quite what Korra expected to happen. Let alone watching her hold a hand out in the air see Turtleneck drop a ring of keys into her palm, bounding away after a quick kiss to the cheek. 

The doberman had placed his head in her lap, cropped ears pinned back in a sense of slight distress. And she only answered him with a soft hand to his canine face. A small sad smile followed.

It had nothing to do with Korra, and everything to do with the normalcy crack growing slightly larger.

* * *

It only took four more days before Korra’s routine finally just shattered. The back end of her route gave way to the sight of the doberman, and the doberman alone. Sitting just as stoically at its post by the bench Turtleneck frequented, but she wasn’t there. The leash was missing, but the dog was still sporting a black collar. 

The scene itself was just quietly unnerving and Korra couldn’t think of a single time when she saw the woman alone. Should Korra just leave? No, just the thought of that didn’t sit right. Maybe the collar had a tag with contact information? Best option. The only problem was possibly spooking it and the pup running off. Korra considered herself a fast runner but there was no way she was faster than that dog. 

She placed Naga’s lead over the curved arm of a bench further away and told to wait, the hockey player didn’t want to risk an unfortunate encounter because as much as Naga was polite, she was also so excitable sometimes. It was a slow go about it. Creeping closer, maybe five feet at a time. Stopping. Creeping closer again. And stop. The canine remained indifferent, watching Korra but not seeming to react in any way. The closer she got the more comfortable Korra became with the idea it wasn’t going to run off. On the contrary the dog seemed very rooted, like it was waiting for Turtleneck to show up at some point. 

The possibility of that idea was all but gone at the point when Korra was able to walk up close enough to let it get used to her scent, and eventually crouch to reach for the collar. It was a black canvas material, broken in enough but definitely not worn or frayed. She was able to notice there was a broken ring link dangling on with it’s last little life. A metal plate riveted into the material on the opposite side looked to be engraved.

The dog was very calm, almost scarily so, as Korra turned the collar around and cocked her head to read the letters. “Camshaft.” She faltered. _Camshaft??_

The name caused a blip of recognition and a head turned, eyes peering curiously. It was very puzzling how pacified this dog was in regards to a complete stranger. One would imagine how guarded and hostile the situation could have gone, but it was strikingly trusting. 

Korra stood and let a little huff. This was absolutely not how she planned her day. Or week. Or generally planned for lost and found dogs, but here she was. And honestly if she ever lost Naga, there’d be nothing that could stop how excruciatingly anxious she would be over it.

Well she got this far, she already knows what this woman looks like, easy. “Alright bud, let’s go find your mom.” No big deal. She’s got this.

Easy.

* * *

Naga was excited.

Bolin was even more so excited.

And Mako was absolutely pissed.

The truth of it was Mako just _acted_ like he was pissed. He was more upset that their regularly scheduled work out for the day turned into dog sitting and “lost pet” signage making, but he easily broke a few hours in. The Mako baby voice really gave that one away.

Korra discovered this dog, male per necessary inquiring for the lost pet listing, responded to absolutely no commands whatsoever. She also discovered the only thing he _did_ respond to was Cam. It initially took a lot of pleading and begging in the park to try and get him to go with her, but Korra honestly got tired of saying Camshaft over and over, Cam just kind of slipped out in exasperated desperation. The short spoken name caused him to run over to her any time and sit patiently, but there wasn’t any other command she tried that actually did what a dog would normally do. Like sit or lay down or wait. Bolin was completely infatuated with this dog and so excited to be making signs to find Cam’s owner, running around a five block radius putting stacks and stacks of little paper signs up. And Naga, well, Naga really tried her best to play. The doberman was just too quiet and polite to react the way she wanted another dog too. In all honesty Korra really could tell he was just too sad and anxious.

But the little trio got all their signs up and around the near vicinity before retiring for the night. The boys finally agreed to go to their own home after she insisted it would be less stress on Cam. All she could do now was sit on her couch, whole pizza box in her lap, huge drink in hand and wait. Korra really hoped she was going to get some kind of response soon. Cam seemed physically fine but she could see a sort of lonely tone settling in those dark puppy eyes. The way he laid at the foot of her couch and just quietly huffed was heartbreaking. He didn’t seem to respond to any food or toys. He didn’t even want to eat a pepperoni from her pizza. Every dog she’s met likes pepperoni.

Surprisingly it took not even a few hours into the night for her phone to just blow up with text messages.

 _Unknown, 10:21pm: YOU HAVE MY DOG.  
_ _Unknown, 10:21pm: I’m sorry. I saw your sign, he’s my dog.  
_ _Unknown, 10:21pm: When can we meet up?_ _  
_ _Unknown, 10:21pm: Please for the love of every possible deity say asap.  
_ _Unknown, 10:21pm: I’ll have you know I’ve sweated through every single shirt I own over this.  
_ _Unknown, 10:22pm: And possibly all of my boyfriend’s shirts too, I had to raid his designated drawer.  
_ _Unknown, 10:22pm: I might have to start rationing them, I don’t want to have to stitch paper towels together to form clothes._

The maddening onslaught of texts almost made Korra chuck her phone across the room to get it to stop. Because holy _shit_ they would not stop flooding in. She only had a mere amount of seconds to mash together a response to get them to at least slow down.

Also. _Boyfriend?_

... _Boyfriend though?_

 _Korra, 10:23pm: oKAY PLS. My phone is going to cause an earthquake with these vibrations.  
_ _Korra, 10:24pm: Proof he’s yours?_

_Unknown, 10:26pm: [image]_   
_Unknown, 10:26pm: [image]_   
_Unknown, 10:26pm: [image]_   
_Unknown, 10:26pm: Dear god PLEASE disregard that last one, I thought I deleted all those._   
_Unknown, 10:27pm: I really hope that got stuck in text message limbo, I’m so fucking sorry. I’m too frantic to function._   
_Unknown, 10:27pm: FUCK it says delivered._

Of course, the brunette was mid _fucking_ sip when those images came in. Korra thinks she might have broken a record with how much soda came out of her nose. The first two images were absolutely Turtleneck and Cam, one of them together with her holding some kind of diploma. It was too difficult to read what it was, but Cam had a tiny graduation cap on his head. The second was Cam wearing a tiny cone hat _(what’s with the hats?)_ sitting in front of a cake that read “happy adoption day’, Turtleneck absolutely glowing next to him. She really was breathtakingly beautiful.

The third image was one hundred percent unrelated to the situation. 

_Korra, 10:31pm: Sorry to say, thanks to your nude you just sent me I know you’re definitely not Cam’s owner._

_Unknown, 10:31pm: Hey what the fuck does that mean? That photo doesn’t even have my face in it._

_Korra, 10:32pm: Not the point. How am I supposed to know those are even your pictures? You could have got those from social media._

_Unknown, 10:33pm: She doesn’t have social media. She’s a very private person._

_Korra, 10:33pm: Okay you just admitted you aren’t her._

_Unknown, 10:34pm: Shit._

It was probably too good to be true anyways. Honestly anybody seeing the photo Korra took of the doberman would probably want him, he really was a stunning dog. A championship dog trainer would have drooled over him. But there was no chance she would just hand him over to just anybody.

Unfortunately, this _anybody_ was calling her phone directly right now. Korra had half a mind to just block the number, but she was honestly very very curious about letting the scene play out. What’s the worst that could happen? Accepting the call, Korra didn’t even have a chance to spit out a hello before she was bombarded by a voice as much as the texts.

_“–cking sorry that you had to see that photo but please just work with me here. I’m going to get murdered not only from embarrassment but from probably ACTUAL murder if I don’t get Cam back in like an hour holy shit I’m freaking out and not just the fact that he’s missing but I sent a totally fucking stranger a nude on accident and now for all I know you could be selling that or just grossly whacking off to it jesus christ….actually if you sold it I’m going to claim creator royalties because those are my titties you’d be making your freeloader–”_

“OKAY. Calm down.” Breathe in. Breathe out. Don’t hang up. Easy. This whole thing is easy.

_“Holy shit you’re not a guy. I’ll be honest I was worried I was going to get ghosted for the fap and then asked for more pictures. Like a hostage situation.”_

She couldn’t help but let out a very audible snort. “Hey just because I’m not a guy doesn’t mean I can’t whack off to photos.”

Silence. Only for the briefest of moments.

_“....alright be square with me, would you or would you not masturbate to that nude? Cause you know I’m not going to turn away a compliment or anything, my boyfriend is so so sweet but girl you know he could use a kick right in his skull and be a little more commanding sometimes and some shameless competition might turn him up a couple notc–”_

Nope. Nope nope nope. “Look I’m going to cut you off right there. I have a dog, I’m looking for his owner. And that is not you.”

Korra could hear a deep inhale on the other line, an exhale to follow, and a few seconds of quiet at the end of the moment before the voice cut through again. _“Okay look. Truth is, Cam’s owner has been out of town for a business thing. And as her best friend, I have been entrusted with his care. Problem is this is the first time he’s been apart from her and I’m pretty sure he’s just really freaked out. I’m supposed to pick her up from the airport tonight in….holy fuck forty minutes. So please..um...I’m sorry I didn’t ask what your name was?”_

“Korra.”

 _“Okay Korra I’m_ begging _you please help me out.”_

Hmm. It was a quite believable story, but Korra wasn’t completely convinced. She needed a little bit more. There had to be some kind of information this woman could give her that confirmed her side was real. Sure she knew the doberman’s name but that could be pretty common knowledge too, right? Not concrete enough.

“Okay, is there something you can tell me that nobody else would know? If he was in your care you had to have been given specific instructions or something.”

_“Instructions...OH. Okay well. How about this then, when Cam got adopted he was completely re-trained and only got taught his commands in Japanese.”_

“...wait are you serious right now?”

_“Just stick out your hand and tell him ote.”_

Ote. This had to be complete nonsense right now but damned if she didn’t try it. And what did you fucking know, that one word and a hand in the air cause him to slap his big paw right into hers. Like a shake. Un-fucking-believable.

“Alright I’m going to need you to text me a cheat sheet for what damn Japanese commands this guy knows. I can meet you at the airport arrivals in thirty but that’s the best I can do. Otherwise it’ll have to wait until morning.” 

_“Yes yes thank you so muc....ck…..–kay sorry dropped my phone I’ll be there please delete that photo please okaythankyoubye!”_

The phone went dead and all Korra could really think about in the moment was, well, at least the boyfriend question had been answered.

Call her slightly invested in that knowledge.


	2. Chapter 2

Time passed surprisingly quickly. Korra found herself standing in the night heat under the airport arrival awning fluorescence with a terrifying looking dog. Not suspicious whatsoever. She’d been waiting for this girl for almost ten minutes, watching the trickle of people pulling luggage into cars increase in volume. Playing hockey was not a very patient sport so the forward would not consider herself to be an extremely patient person. But it was beginning to wane. Where the hell was she?

The growing stream of people were not shy in the way they shot her a very pointed look. Dressed in a heather grey cut off tee and navy blue shorts, Korra didn’t really think it was much to stare at. At the same time, Korra wasn’t shy in accepting the fact that her muscled build did come across like she could knock someone’s lights out. Korra thought Cam really was a timid sweetheart but he was using those laser beam eyes on every person right now. Korra could practically see the missile locking crosshairs on everyone from him. He sat slightly leaned against her calf as the doberman’s ears twisted and turned. The pair were a strange but intimidating combo. 

Sudden vibrations in her hand caused the brunette to look down at her phone at an incoming call, unknown number. Thank god. 

Thumb sliding to answer, she let out a built up sigh. “Cutting it close, huh?” 

_“Please tell me you’re still there, my life depends on it.”_

“Yeah we’re here by arrivals for gates one through four, I wasn’t sure where I was supposed..to..“

It took a split second of recognition, Cam’s head suddenly jolted left and he broke off in a sprint. A split second more and Korra automatically bolted after him, phone still to her face. 

“Scratch that, Cam is running.”

_“Excuse me?”_

“I said he is ru–“

_“I fucking heard you the first time, ohmygodI’mdead. Korra what the FUCK.”_

She had to weave between a couple and vault over someone’s luggage in order to keep on Cam’s tail. “He’s at gate five arrivals now, and stop swearing at me!” 

_“Oh shit is that you, how are you running that fast?? I’m at six, I’ll try to cut him off.”_

Looking up, Korra saw that same short haired woman from the park days ago. Phone plastered to her face while in a stance braced for impact. Korra snorted. “Are you kidding me?? You’re half his size.” As if on queue, Cam dodged the other woman’s standoff by ducking left and continued full speed away. A loud _“FUCK”_ rose in the air as Korra sprinted past, waving hello and grinning without stopping. 

_“That’s it. I’m done. Can you humor me before my soul leaves this world and just tell me you saved my nude for your spank bank?”_

Jesus Christ. “Stop being dramatic, you’re a very attractive woman, no I didn’t save your damn photo.” 

“ _Fuck you that’s totally bank material.”_

“I never said it wasn’t.” A small crowd came out of the exit doors she was almost at and blocked her view, losing the canine for a split second and slowing Korra’s run slightly. The wave cracked just for what seemed to be nanoseconds and she saw Cam was just ahead standing expectantly at something. But the crowd closed again, halting her path and sight. She needed to get to him now, otherwise he was as good as gone with as fast as the dog could run. “Arrivals door seven. He’s stopped, I’ve almost got him.”

With a spin she made it around a man holding a briefcase. Unfortunately she couldn’t avoid clipping his luggage slightly and knocking it out of his hands. A curse flew up from him and all Korra could do was wave and apologize at him at the back end up her twisting motion. There, she was finally free, Cam would be right there to snatch before he was able to take off again and this whole mess would be over. 

She looked up. And green eyes looked back. The scene was almost burned into her eyes as a daguerreotype, a long slow exposure that seemed to last ages but captured only but a moment of time. Cam was seated right in front of the very woman Korra had been looking for. Long dark hair was expertly yet casually twisted up and pinned to the crown of her head. Thin wisps escaped which graced the edge of her jaw and neck, a neck encased in the light rib knit of her black long sleeve that seemed to be cut and sewn perfectly at every point. She was standing in a dark grey gabardine pencil skirt, a tall dark heel, staring with an expression of puzzlement.

Korra felt like her brain had committed every detail to memory instantly in the snapshot of time. The slightest hint of blue from a vein that graced between her second and third knuckle on the right hand, that of which clutched tightly to the well conditioned but worn handle of luggage. A slight crinkle between her eyebrows, one just a touch lifted at the corner. The slowest parting of lips that adorned a very specific shade of red lipstick, likened to a deep merlot closer to a ruby tone. 

And when the sharp bright emerald gaze snapped to her, Korra couldn’t help but notice the delicate stippling of a darker shade. Like inclusions of a gemstone shown in front of an intense light. 

And then Korra tripped like a dumbass. 

Concrete filled her vision before it just started _spinning._ Grey and black tones of every shade rotated a few times before Korra found herself flat on her back, groaning less in physical pain and more in the pain of her own pride. A wet, cold touch tickled her cheek and she cracked an eye open to see Cam staring at her in puzzlement. His jaws would open to crack almost a dog’s smile as he panted, then closed when his head cocked in curiosity. 

Her head lifted to the sound of feet pounding to see the small woman Korra was to meet, doubled over and panting in exertion. She looked up while still caught in ragged breathing. “Holy shit….you...run so fast…..did you...catch–“ she glanced over to see her friend, arms crossed standing expectantly. The smaller woman couldn’t hide the jolting flinch it gave her. “Asami!!”

_Asami._

One of her dark, perfectly shaped eyebrows twitched. The expression that settled upon her face was not one of rage, but clearly command. “Opal, please explain exactly what is happening right now.”

 _Opal._ The name sounded familiar. But the thought was overpowered by Asami’s voice, because all Korra could think then was just how perfect it seemed to fit the woman before her. It was as if whatever spirit was in charge of creating this specific human carefully contrived every aspect. Like a painter deciding between an alizarin or quinacridone crimson, deciding with all aspects of tone, tint and shade in consideration in the overall picture’s cohesion. 

_Wow fucking reel it in, Korra. Not the time._

Opal seemed to consider her options while simultaneously speaking, causing a slew of just random words before she laughed nervously. “Ha, yes. Well you see, Korra here, yes Korra,“ the small woman had made her way over in an attempt to help Korra off the ground before giving up rather quickly. The hockey player lifted herself up to stand beside her, scowling. “Why are you so fucking heavy?? Anyways! She’s uhh...Bolin. Yes, Bolin’s friend! Accompanying me today, Korra here said she could run faster than Cam, and you know I thought that was an absolutely ludicrous–“

“Hey that’s not what happe–“

A sharp jab in the arm cut her off. The silent scream on Opal’s face showed it had done more damage to her than Korra as she clutched her own hand. “What are you, a damn brick??”

A couple of synapses fired in Korra's brain and finally connected a few dots. “How do you know Bolin...wait are you Bolin’s mystery girlfriend!?”

A screeching inhaled gasp came in response. “How do _you_ know Bolin??”

“Alright, enough!”

A small _“eep”_ sounded beside her but Korra couldn’t find herself to match the expression. It wasn't that Asami hasn’t been intimidating, she very much was in the sense. But Korra read this woman’s outward intimidation as raw confidence. A confidence that came with professionalism, power, boldness without arrogance. She could tell it was an aura that came on the backbone of hard work, it was earned. And in turn demanded respect but not flaunted. Yet it then vanished in a sigh, the bridge of her thin, sharp nose caught between a thumb and forefinger as Asami furrowed eyebrows into an indignant look. “Please, my flight from Zaofu was neither short nor enjoyable. Someone just spit it out.”

Opal stood frozen, the smallest hint of sweat beginning to bead at her temple. The entire situation was ridiculous, Korra let out a small huff. “Alright look, I wouldn’t put this one fully on Shrimpy over here.” Opal began to open her mouth to probably throw an insult, but Korra’s palm rose between them to halt it. “As I understand it, Cam has never gone a day without you since you adopted him. It can only make sense that he was freaked out, escaped, and went to a place he recognized you took him to in hopes he’d find you. He’s clearly attached. So that’s where I found him, in the park, and Miss Tater Tot here responded to my lost pet signage.”

“Tator Tot, are you fucking with me?!”

“Shut up that’s what you get for sending me unsolicited nudes.”

Asami’s eyes seemed somewhere else as she thought, not hearing their banter as she considered the story for a moment. “The park. Where?”

“The big one in the middle of the city. There’s a smaller clearing on the north side, a bench under a single oak tree that someone attached a bat house to. It faces one of the only tree lines that cuts off the surrounding skyscrapers and there’s a trail on the edge of the clearing. Maybe, fifty, sixty feet away?”

The gaze that bore down on her was scrutinizing. “This story seems logical. But I must ask, Korra...this is a lot of very specific details...how can I be sure this is true? Or have you been watching me for unscrupulous purposes?”

She hesitated. “What, to rob you?” A questioning eyebrow pull was the only thing in response. Korra mentally chastised herself. That was an outcome she hadn’t anticipated, she should have. “It’s a valid thought. Firstly, I run the same ten mile route every morning and it goes by that area. I have a routine, I know the people, every dumb detail nobody else pays attention to. Frankly, you happen to be the pebble dropped in the water and I notice the ripples.” 

She took a moment to point a finger at the doberman between them. “Secondly if I followed to your home intent on nefarious purposes, he’d probably be snacking on one of my legs.” Cam seemed to pick up the attention and sat stoically, as if a dog could look smug and proud. 

Asami considered a few moments longer before she nodded. “I agree, this sounds reasonable. I thank you but now have to ask what exactly you’re after in the situation?”

 _What...I’m after?_ The notion honestly startled the words right out of her. This woman firstly thought she was out to steal from her, and now she is expecting ulterior motives from Korra? A moment of recovery passed. “Wow okay, this wasn’t a kidnapping. Cam got lost, I wanted to help get him back home. End of story.”

Those bright green eyes looked so genuinely bewildered at the idea. “So...you want nothing? From me? That’s absurd.” 

Korra’s wrist flicked up to check the time on a brightly lit phone in hand. It was late, and Naga would be restless. This had taken more time than she wanted or had. “Should I? I got what I wanted, Cam is back home where he belongs. Charmed to meet you both, but I’ve got a date with a Great Pyrenees and a pizza box.” 

The effort it took to turn away was a little harder than Korra thought it was going to be. Asami didn’t seem offended but almost a bit rattled. A quiet confusion. She gave nothing away and remained silent, asking no more questions while she contemplated her own thoughts. However, Korra did turn to Opal and pointed a finger at her. “I won’t speak a word of this to Bolin, respectfully I do not want to see my best friend’s girlfriend’s nudes so _please_ don’t make me go through that again.” 

“Opal what the fuck?” Asami’s eyes jolted to her friend. 

“Me!? What about you, what the hell was that??”

Korra left before she could get caught in whatever crossfire that was. The genuine happiness for getting Cam, the adorable Terminator dog, home safely lifted a weight on her shoulders. His owner was a different story, the beaming personality in the photos Korra had been sent seemed like a different person than the woman she had met. It wasn’t a bad thing, just quite unexpected. There was more to the story, but Asami was not an onion to be peeled. Shaking away the thoughts, she looked to the food awaiting her at home. 

And yet, the faintest trace of a green hue ghosted her consciousness. 

* * *

Days passed and Korra almost managed to keep the entire occurrence from her mind. The Fire Ferrets had their first exhibition match only a month away, causing Mako to kick the team into serious overdrive. Not only was the earlier regular morning session intensity increased, there was a shorter session in again after every practice. The Fire Ferrets grueling schedule was known across the sport as somewhat more extreme than other teams, but there was a reason they won the championship last year. Lack of hard work was not one of them. 

Korra slumped on the couch, checking her phone briefly while absentmindedly running her hands through wet hair. One of her preseason traditions was spending time with Bolin and Mako every Wednesday – a midweek wind down – and all they did was just drink and play whatever retro game was decided. Over the time it had evolved to include others on occasion. Arriving first was the Fire Ferret’s own enforcer, Kuvira, joining with the reasoning “ _Since you’re on my team I can’t beat your ass on the ice but I plan on humiliating you in 16-bit glory”_. Their own relationship had started off rocky when Kuvira initially played for a different team, but she became one of Korra’s most dependable friends. Her aggression was more ribbing than anything. 

Currently Kuvira was rummaging around in the cabinets. Glass knocked and clinked together at an increasing pace. “Korra how many times have I made it clear that when I grace you with my presence, you must always have vodka at the ready?”

Fingers were still threaded through short choppy hair that had nearly dried from the scorching shower she had taken when the hockey player returned home. The heat still permeated from her skin, the slightest pink hue had dusted over. “Just about as many times as I have to you remind you that you drank all of it last time you came over.” Her hand slapped over next to her to dig around in Kuvira’s duffel bag, plucking out a full alcohol bottle and waving it around in the air. “Just like how you always bring a new one with you.”

The woman strutted out of the kitchen, arms clasped behind her back. For some reason she was wearing a military-esque trench coat. She looked commanding and authoritative. Kuvira was also happening to wear a stormtrooper helmet. 

“The Great Enforcer requires a drink, peasant.” 

The bottle nearly flew out of Korra’s hands but she caught herself and kept hold. “Get my fucking helmet off your head, that’s an original prop from the movie you asshole! And where’d you get that jacket??”

A scoff came from under the headgear. “I’ve conquered and gained full control of your nerd cave. A drink would require me to remove this helmet, you peon.” 

“Alright fine,” Leaving her phone on the couch, Korra trudged over to her kitchen. Keeping in theme with whatever character Kuvira had chosen she swept her duffel bag to the floor while placing herself on the couch as if it was a throne, looking around with disdain. If a stormtrooper had an expression of disdain, that is. She could barely make out the faintest hum from the other room as Korra fished around for the Blue’s Clues sippy cup she kept for situations just like this. 

“Korra you’re getting a call, it just says ‘blocked’ as the ID.”

“It’s probably a scam.”

“Ooh, I’m going to fuck with them then.”

She struggled to reach in the back of the cabinet, she knew that damn cup was in here. From the other room she heard Kuvira clear her throat. “Shameless Shirtless Escort Service.”

Her fingers felt smooth plastic and finally pulled the cup from the shelf, whispering ‘ _haha fuck you bitch’_ in success. Inspecting the cup it showed a little layer of dust from being stored open end up. Korra shrugged, it would add flavor, right? Slamming the drinkware into the fridge door ice dispenser, she filled it to burst. _Gonna be watery, perfect._

“Baby I can be whoever you want, but yes this is Korra.”

A ‘ _fuck you!’_ floated from Korra just loud enough to be heard in the other room, and a low chuckle came in response. God, Kuvira was infuriating. “....oh, just a minute. KORRA. The scam caller wants to video chat to verify it’s actually you. Ever heard of this before?”

She assumed Kuvira had muted the call to keep in character, not giving away the ruse. “No but I don’t care if you do it. Maybe your dumb fucking face will scare them away.” The vodka bottle screw cap was cracked open and Korra filled the cup entirely with it. Twisting the cap of the sippy cup on she gave it a little shake, as if she was sounding to mix a drink. 

_Excellent._

She rounded the corner, still giving the cup small shakes. Staring at the phone, Kuvira sat up straighter, tilting her helmeted head up and seemed to enter a full monologue as the video chat call tone chimed away. “Worm! It is I, your god, the Great Enforcer! You shall bow befor—holy shit!” Kurvira ripped the stormtrooper helmet off and slammed it into the cushion next to her, eyes bugging. Kuvira’s hair was tied into a tight braid, the dark shape flying over her shoulder. Korra couldn’t help it as a horrible cringe coursed through her body at the sight of the precious prop being pretty much manhandled. 

“Your drink, oh _supreme_ and _powerful_ Great Enforcer.” Korra faced the other woman, voice dripping in sarcasm and jammed the Blue’s Clues sippy cup into her hand. The phone between them, Kuvira’s eyes shot up to Korra. Wide. She hadn’t even noticed her drink yet. 

“How’d you get this number?? Korra! What sorcery is this? Explain to me how extremely hot women are calling you?! When did scam callers get this spicy?! I need answers!” A glance down and the cup finally registered, a horribly terrifying glare shot back to Korra. 

“What the hell is this?”

“Your drink, since you’re a fucking baby who can’t make her own.” 

“You….dare insult me? In front of this gorgeous creature?! The fucking _audacity_! I will end you!”

“As I recall, I kicked your ass last time! I bet you still just talk shit with no bite!”

A low chuckle floated through the phone speaker and around the air, halting both the ice hockey players’ verbal onslaught. The speaker made it seem tinny and hollow. _“This is not what I expected at all, but I have to say I’m very entertained right now.”_

Korra and Kuvira froze in tandem. Their eyes darting between each other. “Kuv, who is that?” The truth of the question she asked was already known, but Korra needed it confirmed. There was no way, right?

“You ask as if I’m not wondering the same thing! Who is this??” She flipped the phone around and the truth of the matter was indeed validated. Black hair cascaded and framed sharp facial features, skin like alabaster. Asami was staring back at her with mirth in her slightly crinkled eyes. Her head was propped on a hand with three fingers curled in an attempt to hide a smirk as the fourth pointed up and graced a cheekbone, fingertip just touching the corner of her eye. What shocked Korra the most was just how different her demeanor was, quietly impudent, blithe, just _soft._

_Well shit._

“Turtleneck.” It came out in a whisper.

It took but a second for Kuvira to adjust her own demeanor in response to Korra’s stunned reaction. A smirk graced her lips as an eyebrow quirked. The expression Kuvira dawned was filled with nothing good and completely conniving. She opened her mouth to speak a probable snide remark but a palm straight to the face shut down anything she was going to say as Korra aggressively stiff-armed her teammate. “Give me that!” The force of the action toppled them both over as the two struggled for the phone, sippy cup held high in the air in protection. Elbows and curses flew in the brawl but a slip caused Kuvira’s thumb to glance over the screen and hit the ‘end call’ button. A tone blipped and the screen went dark causing both women to halt.

Korra shot the first grimace. “You dickhead!

“Assmunch!” Kuvira let out a loud huff before pushing Korra off and straightening. Aggressively the enforcer chugged some of her drink and then shot out a finger. “First off, this drink is perfect.”

“Kuv it’s straight vodka.”

“Exactly, beautifully prime. Secondly, as your friend I expect some serious explaining. What in the hell is that exquisite woman doing calling your potato fried ass? Do you know her, because she definitely seems to know you?!”

“I don’t know! I mean I know her but I don’t _know_ her!! Ugh.” A hand wiped down her face and Korra sighed. “I can’t call her back because the number is blocked, thanks.”

Kuvira sat nursing the end of the sippy cup contemplating, and then responded in finality. “She’ll call you back.” As if on queue, Korra’s phone lit up with an incoming call and a sly smile filled her friend’s face. “I told you.”

“You need to leave.”

“What, so you can have phone sex?”

“I swear to god, Kuvira!” Audible vibrations were still chiming out. “Fine, I’ll make all of your drinks for the rest of the night.”

“And next four game nights.”

“Two and I’ll be your damn footstool.”

“Deal.” Jumping up, she straightened her coat in indignation and moved to the door. “Mako and Bolin will be here soon, you got ten minutes before I bust this door back down to destroy you in Street Fighter, Bison is mine. I expect a full report after this.” Lurching the door open, she hesitated stepping out before turning back around. “And I retain full rights to make a move on her if you don’t.” Two fingers pointed at her eyes and then aimed at Korra. The door slammed shut.

Korra didn’t even have time to recover before answering the incoming call. Chances were she’d probably miss it and lose the opportunity. Not that she was expecting anything but Korra couldn’t help but stoke the notion of having a real conversation, hopefully at minimum. The phone flew up pressed to an ear. What was she supposed to say?

A voice lilted through before she got a chance to speak at all. _“I do have to ask, is decking people a common occurrence or did I get an exclusive?”_

She let out a small laugh. “You’d be surprised.” A curious hum came in retort. The slight lapse gave way to a slew of thoughts, one particularly crushing. “Wait, is everything alright? Is Cam okay? Did I do something wrong when I had him? Shit.”

 _“No no no,”_ Asami quickly interrupted the spiraling thoughts. _“Cam is perfect, thank you. I’m actually calling about what I did. Or lack of, really.”_

Korra couldn’t immediately think of what had gone wrong, it didn’t seem to her that Asami had any reason to say something like that. There was a pause before the other woman continued. _“Opal really grilled me on the way home that night and helped me realize I was pretty...cold, so to speak. It’s not really an excuse, but after days of business meetings and interacting with clients I tend to put everything personal into a box and push it down. I treated you like a transaction and I wanted to apologize.”_

She hadn’t really thought far into that interaction but after hearing Asami’s words it did make sense. The odd way she had approached the conversation did seem matter-of-fact but considering new situation there had now been some clarity. “Hmm. I can see your perspective, I admit it threw me off when you asked what I had wanted from it all.”

_“It only seemed the natural course, everybody usually wants something from me, Korra. I’m sorry I assumed the same for you.”_

“I think in the scheme of things, life should be more about what you can give than what you can take.”

_“Poetic.”_

“Eh.” Korra paused, shrugging to nobody but herself. “I do appreciate it but you don’t have anything to apologize for, as long as Cam’s back safe here he belongs. Did Opal really give you the third degree?”

 _“He is. And she did. Honestly I had to eat the lecture as part of a deal in order to get her to spill the beans about those pictures.”_ A light laugh floated through, Korra thought she’d do anything to hear it again. _“She pointed out some of the, ah...finer details I had missed. Since you seem to be opposed to an apology, would you accept a dinner invitation? As a thank you?”_

Dinner. Like dinner? Or _dinner?_ She could feel a momentary hike in her pulse but stifled it down. Korra couldn’t jump to conclusions. Not without more information. “Would you still have asked me under different circumstances?”

There wasn’t a hesitation. _“I might have.”_

“Oh.” Wait, this was flirting, right? That’s how people did it, bantered back and forth with obvious undertones that neither party spoke on until one of them broke. It wasn’t like Korra wasn’t familiar with it, but wow had it been awhile and the whole ‘committed to hockey’ thing didn’t really help in the department so obviously she may have been a bit rusty on the subject but not completely oblivious. Right? 

Her thoughts were cut off as Asami continued. The lack of Korra’s response may have left a pause a little longer than was beneficial. _“And please stop me if I’m reading into this wrong. But you have me at a disadvantage. It seems I only just met you while you’ve known of me for, correct me if I’m wrong, weeks? That seems unfair.”_

“Ouch, okay. Definitely correct on all accounts. But let’s run this scenario over and tell me what you think. We meet, sit down and have dinner, make small talk. I’m a bit charming, maybe you’ll laugh once or twice at a joke. Maybe it’s out of quiet pity, who is to say? We’ll probably disagree over the bill out of chivalry but you’ll insist to pay since the dinner was by your invitation. We’ll leave courteously yet separately, possibly exchange a message or call here and there out of obligation and eventually go back to regular life as it were.”

A long pause of silence and she actually had to look down at the screen to make sure it was still connected. It was. She probably just made a huge mistake. 

_“I think that’s very very far off from how I was hoping it would go...but I can make it if that’s what you would like.”_

“Oh god no. That dinner would be complete shit, I was just making sure we are on the same page here.” That managed to get a more substantial laugh from the other end of the phone and Korra knew it was one of the best sounds she had heard. “Call if forward, but I feel like I can give you better than that train wreck of a date.”

_“So I’ll take that response as a yes then?”_

“Oh it is a date now, then?”

_“In your words, call it forward but I believe you’ve just clarified it for the both of us.”_

“Too much?”

_“Quite the opposite.”_

A loud banging rumbled through her apartment, the thuds growing in intensity. The voice of none other than Kuvira crashed through. “I require another drink, chattel! Your time is up!”

Korra had half a mind to drop kick her through the door. “Kuv I swear to every deity in existence I’ve never thought about choke slamming you more than I have right at this second!” She let out a loud sigh before returning to her call. “And now I’m the one at the disadvantage. I would give you my number but it seems you already have it. But now it seems unfair I don’t have yours.”

 _“I’ll be sure to fix that.”_ A ‘tsk’ noise followed. _“I won’t take up any more of your time in subjugation. But I’ll send you something to keep your attention. Good night, Korra.”_ The last bit of the sentence was almost hummed out before the line went dead very quickly. It was almost infuriating how fast Asami had ended the call, especially how coy the conversation was going.

In the next instant the door burst open as Kuvira, Mako, and Bolin all spilled through. So many words came scattering out of the trio as all of their sentences overlapped. It was a jumble of drink requests, game suggestions, shouting of what kind of snacks there were. All of the chatter was zoned out of Korra’s brain as it still tried to process how in the hell she pulled off getting a date with Asami. With Asami!

The phone still clutched in her hand vibrated twice as Kuvira strode past with a very pointed and knowing look but she said nothing. Dropping a now empty Blue’s Clues cup into her lap she babbled on about how many matches Korra was about to lose. Korra opened up the text message as assumed was from Asami and everything ceased to register. Because holy _shit_ it definitely was from her, she was now staring at a photo of Asami, a very gorgeous Asami, standing in an extremely detailed and highly accurate X-Wing pilot costume. A scale R2-D2 droid was next to her and behind the pair was a Rebel Legion charter banner. Korra thought for sure her own brain nearly shut down. The cup in her lap was picked up and chucked, clunking against Kuvira’s head with a thunk as she quickly decided to respond to the message. 

_Korra, 11:32pm: Are you even real? And free tomorrow?_

_Asami, 11:35pm: The skepticism is noted. I do have many more tantalizing things I could show you if you’re still unconvinced.  
_ _Asami, 11:36pm: And for you, I can be free anytime._

Korra decided then being Kuvira’s footstool was easily worth every second. 

* * *

A streak of black and white ripped past, strands of grass flying up. Trying to guess what game dogs played was near impossible. It kind of just seemed like one would chase after the other, have a stand-off, and then switch. Even though there were toys littered around they seemed to be more concerned about a free running chase. 

“You know I’m pretty impressed, I didn’t think Cam could be this social.” The disgusting heat wave had seemed to break and the day was quite cooler than it had been recently. Korra sat nursing her fourth container of take out, turning her attention away from the two dogs and let her eyes glance over the woman’s face next to her. Asami was just as striking up close and a smile touched her eyes as she watched the pair. “He’s quite shy.”

It wasn’t a traditional date, in the sense. That wasn’t really her style. Korra had insisted on bringing their dogs and a slew of Hwang’s take-out. Relaxed and informal, with no real set expectations. On the off chance it would go horribly the setting was almost a buffer. They sat on the very same bench under the very same oak that Asami herself had frequented. The shade was cooling but bits of sunlight cut through the leaves, making the shadows dance like mosaics. The patterns seem to almost shimmer around and when that one slice of light would catch the side of Asami’s eye, it let out a glint of piercing green in so many shades. Simply breathtaking. “Naga’s pretty social but also perceptive. She knows if she went in guns blazing it would have probably spooked him. I have to ask, what’s his story?” 

The bright grace of green disappeared as she turned to meet Korra’ own attention. Honestly those eyes were just as bright in the shade. “Long story short, a few years ago he was owned by a very shitty man with very shitty morals. The docking was just a small part of it. The opportunity came up to give him a better life, and I didn’t realize how much of a friend I needed at the time.” She gave a small shrug. “We both came out of it changed for the better. I honestly was really stressed out about this trip, I didn’t think he was going to take it well.”

“He was pretty pitiful when I picked him up, I’m not going to lie.” Her head inclined to the pair. Cam was mid jump, crashing down on the other side of Naga as the two sprinted back through a quick circle in front of the bench, tongues lolling. “Looks like he got a friend out of it though.”

There was a quiet smile to herself as her eyes tracked the two canines before Asami turned back to Korra again. “Okay I have to know. Turtleneck?”

She could feel her own eyes roll as Korra slumped back with a groan. “I knew this would bite me. You have to cut me some slack, I didn’t know your name.” She motioned to Asami as if to make a point. The woman naturally was wearing a turtleneck, black, thin but long sleeve and open shoulder. Her skin was stark in contrast and there didn’t seem to be a hint of freckling. “I’m not far off in my description though. Honestly I really have been wondering how you can wear this when it’s been so hot?”

“Fire Nation.” She countered with a very obvious look up and down Korra. “And considering the same criteria, water tribe?”

She grinned. “I don’t think I’ll ever acclimate. I just run hot.”

“I won’t disagree with that.”

She was being playful in banter and Korra wanted to never tire it. Yet tidbit was not enough for Korra’s own curiosity if this woman. “Okay so what’s the business-y stuff about? Like what do you do?”

“Ah, right to business then?” Her body moved and twisted to face Korra, giving her full attention. “How about we entertain this. I like to consider myself decently perceptive, let me try and guess what you do first and see how close I can get.” 

“And if you’re spot on?”

Asami looked down slightly in consideration before looking back to cock her head to the side and smile lightly. “Whoever is closer picks the second date then.” 

She puffed out a breath. “Okay, looks like you’ve made the mistake of getting stuck with me a second time. Let’s see what you come up with.” She dropped the food container next to the mountain of empties and slung an arm on the back of the bench. One leg was folded in front of her as the other remained to dangle off the side. 

The look Asami gave her was calculated, self-assured, and final. “You’re the center first star player for the Fire Ferrets.” 

Korra nearly choked when she inhaled and laughed at the same time. “Wow that’s really unfair! Did you actually look me up?”

The raven haired woman hummed through a smile. “I pride myself on research but can’t take the credit. Opal wouldn’t shut up after she asked Bolin about you. I was subjected to the entire team rundown, so I understand the dynamic between you and Kuvira as well” She looked at the pile of take-out containers. “It does explain a few things. Including the, ah..” Eyes locked to the darker skinned arm rested next to her. “Musculature.”

“That traitor has put me at such a disadvantage now.” She scrubbed the other free hand over her face for a moment before recovering. A glance over revealed Naga happily picking up a few toys and pompously dropping them into a water bucket, just to stare at them. “Can I get a hint?”

Letting out a laugh, Asami leaned to the side and into the arm beside her. A bare shoulder touched Korra’s forearm and a noticeable temperature difference was clear, welcomed. “Absolutely not, you really hate losing don’t you?”

A low grumble came in response, she chose not to answer. In turn Korra decided to take a second in considering what she actually did know about the other woman. It wasn’t a lot but could be stitched together in a decent theory. She tried to read Asami as well as she could but it devolved into just staring at different points of feature. The minuscule flit of her vision left and right. The slight iris dilation. The way the part of Asami’s hair seemed to line perfectly with the center of her left eye. Korra must have been staring longer than she thought because the height of an arched eyebrow came in response. Korra didn’t care to hide that she knew she was caught. “Okay let’s see. I’m guessing when you say clients you work for some corporation, probably high up. I don’t know a lot of people that go to Zaofu just for business. I would say finance but that doesn’t seem challenging enough for you, marketing? No...R&D? Science maybe, you read as a problem solver. Hmm…”

Asami’s smile slowly widened. “Alright, COO for a company that deals heavily in, let’s say, the medical field. You have to do some boring admin stuff but prefer the puzzle of study. It might be a hobby.”

The gaze that swept over her was quite impish, accompanied by a sumptuous grin. “Well I appreciate the modesty, but you’re only slightly off. CEO, mechanical engineering. Specialty in propulsion systems.”

It didn’t occur to her to even ask what company. It didn’t matter. In the moment the only thing that actually mattered was the way that green gaze just bore into her. It tracked over various points of Korra’s own face in a long pause. A pause that lasted because Korra really couldn’t think of anything to actually say in response. It all just felt like a dense draw, a pull. Like a magnet. Korra didn’t think she was alone in the sensation because she knew the exact expression she was giving was being reflected back.

“Would it be modest if I told you that I really want to kiss you right now?”

The way Asami had moved in felt like a horribly and excruciatingly slow vortex, that magnet was pulling so _so_ infinitely leisurely that it just made the situation aggravating. But there was a breath on her lips and a sentence through her ears. “Korra, modesty will get nowhere at this moment.”

It was almost a favor that Korra’s arm was in a position where the movement felt miniscule in pulling Asami in. Kissing her was effortless, it was a gift. The sensation had shut off her mind to the sounds around and she was only left in silence and warmth. It had begun soft, delicate, achingly slow. But it moved away and Korra was left chasing a kiss and a smile that sequentially was so aggressively returned deeper. Returned open. Returned downright indecent, and Korra had no effort left in caring if there was anybody else around because she was just too busy putting all her effort into giving what Asami was demanding. She could feel a hot trail coil up her neck as the other woman snaked a hand to clutch at her hair.

And then a wet, icy, disgusting object slapped into her lap. It shot a jolt of lightning up her spine and Korra couldn’t help physically lurching back into reality. She looked down to see a sodden and cold rope chew toy soaking through her clothes, Naga’s eyes beaming up at her and Asami roaring in laughter. She picked the toy up and tossed it over to Asami, who let out a small shriek in surprise as she moved to dodge it. Cam was sitting very still, looking confused but attempting to hold his composure and not reach for the toy, little tail wagging in excitement. 

Korra couldn’t help but laugh at the situation and reach for the toy, standing to chuck it as far as she could throw. A stream of water arched overhead and fell to settle on the both of them as the two dogs raced off to see who would reach it first. Asami was glowing next to her, shoulders slowing as the laughter calmed and she beamed a smile back to Korra. 

“I guess you can’t hog all of my attention. Come on!” Korra stretched out a hand and Asami gave no hesitation in taking it, threading through and full of warmth. The CEO was the one who tugged ahead first but her forward motion was interrupted as Korra remained rooted. “Alright first I already know you had that game planned. So what’s the second date I’m trapped into?”

“Trapped?” She laughed. “If you want to back out, you can. But I was planning on showing you my X-Wing.”

Korra nearly swooned. “Like a real one?!”

“Real as in one to one full scale, extremely movie accurate, museum quality. That I _may_ or may not have had a hand in making.”

  
  
  


Looking back, Korra had figured this was probably the moment she knew subconsciously she’d marry Asami Sato. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Asami didn’t believe two people could possibly fit into a cockpit in any reasonable position, but Korra made it a point to prove that theory very _very_ wrong. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy a chip if you get the Red Five reference. Thank you for making it to the end.  
> Comments are welcome, I try to reply to them all but I'm horrid at it.


End file.
